Mission Statement

The mission of Southern Arkansas University is to educate students for productive and fulfilling lives in a global environment by providing opportunities for intellectual growth, individual enrichment, skill development, and meaningful career preparation. The University believes in the worth of the individual and accepts its responsibility for developing in its students those values and competencies essential for effective citizenship in an ever-changing, free, and democratic society. Further, the University encourages and supports excellence in teaching, scholarly and creative endeavors, and service.

God help the poor soul that gets tricked into coming to this university. The administration here is the most incompetant, ingnorant, rude, condescending, haughty, shiftless, lazy, uneducated bunch of people I have ever met in my life. Have a talk with most any current student and they will agree.
The Financial Aid department is by far the worst. They will lose your paperwork, including transcripts, deny you the financial aid you've received (so screwed up for some it renders them ineligible in the future), advise students to take out all the loans humanly possible, and have the nerve to scold you if you point out their descrepancies.
There is a good reason the retention rate is only about 33%. Most can't handle the stressful fight required EVERY semester just to stay in college on top of the demands of being a student in general. I've seen lots of out-of state freshman go back home after the first semester and plenty of non-trads give up a life long dream. They are quick to inform you to just deal with it because it's like this everywhere you go.
Until you are a Sophomore, you are doomed to the Advising Center for making a schedule. These people have no idea what you need for your degree, don't have any idea what these classes are actually about, will enroll you in anything that rings a good bell for them at that moment, and waste your time and money. You have to file a degree plan when you come here, but it really is pointless. IF it gets put in the system, it won't be correct.
The billing office, poor things, end up doing their job and that of the other pathetic offices. The problem is, since nobody seems to want to post your aid or payments, they will send you all sorts of threatening, intimidating, nasty letters about how they will not save, and even drop, your schedule if you don't pay now. This happens, then chances are you can't re-enter class and will be obliged to pay for nothing or attend junk that doesn't pertain to you at all, still nothing. Among the threats are them saying they will not update your transcript for what you have already earned. And no, this advertised payment plan does not exist. No aid is available for summer and if you enroll in one of these short sessions you have about a month to come up with the money in full.
This college makes a big deal out of advertising itself as totally friendly to non-trad students and the wonders of distance learning. Compared to what? Nothing about this school is geared in a way that helps non-trads and nothing is convenient about their online learning, for what short supply exists.
Apparently, the horrors of non-trad existance here is across the board. Make sure you talk to a few of them. Bonus points are awarded to living-on-campus slackers just for attending tutoring sessions. While you work you tail off, some failing kid can pass with a D just off these sessions, just show up. If you're really a non-trad, then you have a job, family, and live off campus. These tutoring sessions are set for the craziest times, which you won't be able to attend.
They reserve need-to-know information for these sessions that you are not allowed to know unless you go to these sessions and it will be on tests. They say it's designed that way on purpose to boost attendance. If you just attend lectures, most of your education will come about as a result of your own doing outside the college. It's like a little scavenger hunt for knowlegde all semester long.
Also, this is supposed to be a public university with no religious affiliation. Wrong! Most of your classes will envolve discussion and comparison regarding the Bible and Christianity...down to cited quotes of Biblical verses IN THE TEXT for the most unrelated subject areas. (My economics text actually states that the first economist in the world was a well know, dream interpreting character from the Bible.) How ridiculous!
In fact, I just got an e-mail addressed to all students last week about applying for a scholarship. Right up top, the first line of the requirements...must be a Christian to apply and receive this aid. A little further down you see that you also must have a recommendation from your minister. So basically, as long as you're Christian, you'll receive a degree of indoctrination nearly free.
The other thing is the quality of the student body. These people are so immature for college students, some even engage in play wrestling in the classroom. And I swear if I hear the term facebook drama once more, I'll vomit! Oh, and don't forget, it's all about the look. Prissy, primpy, preppie....clothes, hair, and make-up all the way. How else could you convince those professors to go ahead and give you that glorious D when you're failing? (I've heard these requests.)

I absolutely love SAU! It was my first choice after visiting the campus on preview day. Not only is SAU a beautiful campus, but it is also in the heart of the South West. I chose SAU because when I first came here, the campus and everyone here made me feel right at home, which was exactly what I was looking for.

I absolutely love the fact that I can schedule my classes how I want to and with the teachers that I want. The food here isn't bad they mix it up but nothing will ever be better than momma's home cooking!

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